Breast Cancer

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Metformin, a drug commonly used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, is showing promise in the treatment of certain types of hormone-stimulated cancers, such as breast cancer and prostate cancer.

Pipeline

The latest in cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

Treatment Updates

Updates from the American Society of Hematology meeting and the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

Pumping Iron

In the past, doctors advised breast cancer survivors with lymphedema to avoid heavy lifting because of the possibility of infection and symptom flare-ups, but a new study shows weight-lifting may actually be beneficial and help reduce lymphedema symptoms.

One of the most visible side effects of chemotherapy is hair loss—a problem so distressing that some patients refuse treatment to avoid going bald.Studies have suggested that cooling the scalp during and immediately after treatment may help reduce hair loss. When the skin is cold, less blood flows to hair follicles, reducing their exposure to the drugs. One product, the Penguin Cold Cap System (manufactured by Medical Specialties of California UK), is billed as preventing hair loss in 80 percent of patients.

Women diagnosed with breast cancer could lower their risk of recurrence by cutting back on alcohol consumption, a new analysis suggests. Obesity itself is known to raise the risk of breast cancer, but a study described Thursday suggests that, after diagnosis, women who are overweight may fare worse than their normal-weight peers.